Since I wrote the last post about cycling it’s become clear to me how many people I speak to who say:
“Wow, cycling in London. I would LOVE to do that but it’s too scary.”
There must be many thousands of people thinking the same thing. In fact, I remember thinking exactly the same thing for over 12 months before I plucked up the courage and got a bike. And after a week or so I realised how safe it actually is. I’d appreciate it if you would comment and let me know what you think about cycling in London.
I recently read that the only way to significantly improve cycling safety is to increase the number of cyclists on the roads. So if I can convince some of you to dust of your bikes then I’m making things safer for me… always looking out for number one!
Let me know your cycling situation -
Thanks,
Ronald
I have been cycling regularly in London for about 6 months. I’ve been through a number of stages…
1. FEAR. At first I was terrified of the idea of cycling in London… stories of occasional deaths and injuries plagued me.
However - deaths per km travelled is actually slightly less on a bike than it is on the pavement (admittedly I travel a bit further per journey on a bike, but this seems the fairest comparison). Did you know: not wearing a helmet potentially makes you safer on the roads!
2. NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES. Not being confident on the road leads to some wobbles. Lack of confidence prevents you from daring anything too dangerous, though.
3. RELATING NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES. Every day I would come home with a new story “Today a guy turned right into my path! and I almost died!” A set of practical rules form in your head: Don’t go anywhere near a bendy bus. Don’t cycle to the left of a large vehicle near a junction. Keep to the centre of the lane when turning right. Avoid confrontation with black cab drivers.
4. INCREASING CONFIDENCE. Suddenly crossing 3 lanes of traffic becomes a reasonable proposition - look behind you and indicate before each lane, it’s like you’re a real road user!
5. IMPROVED KNOWLEDGE OF LONDON. I know good cycle routes right across London. Islington to Hounslow? No problem!
Suddenly I’ve reached Level 6 though:
6. OVER-CONFIDENCE LEADING TO A LOT OF GETTING LOST. I’ve got to the stage where I don’t really check a map, I just assume I’m going the right way. Today I had to travel from Archway to Hampstead and back again. Easy route, just follow the road, 4 miles A to B and 4 miles back to A. This is what actually happened:
View Larger Map
Oops.
